Pay or prison

A convicted man has been given six months to pay compensation to a woman whom he stabbed in the stomach almost five years ago.

If Ferdinand Alexander Junior Cadogan of Fustic Village, St Lucy does not hand over the money to the complainant, he will spend three years in prison.

Cadogan, who is in his late 20s, was also placed on two years’ probation and ordered to undergo conflict resolution and anger management counselling through the Probation Department.

Madam Justice Pamela Beckles imposed that combination of sentences on him on Thursday for unlawfully and maliciously wounding Aisha Griffith on November 22, 2017.

According to a victim impact statement, parts of which were disclosed by the High Court judge in the No. 5 Supreme Court, Griffith stated that the incident was physically and emotionally painful and the healing process excruciating. She said the ordeal had traumatised her and reported that she still experiences minor pain when standing for long periods.

The victim also indicated that compensation would be beneficial for the pain and suffering she endured and was adamant that it was not her desire for Cadogan to be incarcerated.

Griffith said he was generally “not a bad person” but had anger issues.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Beckles stated that though the offence was serious, especially given the injuries, the threshold for a custodial sentence had not been met and the imposition of a non-custodial sentence would be appropriate.

According to the facts, Cadogan and Griffith reside in the same district.

On November 22, 2017, around 10 a.m., Cadogan was outside his residence and indicated to some people in the area that he and his girlfriend at the time had a noise. Griffith spoke to him about treating people in a particular way and she subsequently had a conversation with Cadogan’s girlfriend.

That resulted in a quarrel between Griffith and Cadogan which quickly escalated.

Cadogan struck Griffith in her neck with a stick and she reacted by throwing a stone into his house.

He then slapped her twice with the flat side of a cutlass. Other people in the area stopped him, and Griffith, who had fallen to the ground, got up and threw another stone in his direction.

Cadogan broke free of the people who were holding him, went up to Griffith with a knife and stabbed her in the stomach.

The woman subsequently fell to the ground and was later taken to the hospital where she underwent surgery.